


a very Cooper christmas

by riverdalenerdlol



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty really likes baking and Jughead really likes tasting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fake Dating, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I mean it they are so dumb, M/M, Mild Smut, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Smut, Snowed In, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, and other cute holiday stuff, but also backwards?, idiots to lovers, it do be Christmas, it takes them forever to finally cut the shit, listen these two beans are idiots and they are adorable and they are unbelieveable, lots of cooking, these two are so stupid, tropefest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:13:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28431471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riverdalenerdlol/pseuds/riverdalenerdlol
Summary: “Why, my dearest friend, just come on in,” he said to the now empty balcony just before closing the door and turning to her. “What happened to your Cooper Manners, Elizabeth?”“I have a problem concerning those Coopers, Jughead, and I need your help.”“Spill,” he replied, flopping onto his couch. Betty pushed his feet off so she could sit there.“So you know how I always call them on Sundays, right?”“I gather you already have for the day.”“Yes, and they kept pestering me about whether I was bringing someone home as a plus one, so to get them off my back I told them I had a boyfriend.”“Oh, Betty, Betty, Betty - you do not have one of those.”“Hey, cut the sarcasm,” she told him. “Since you hate driving in the snow, love food, and can’t go to Toledo…”“Oh no,” he said, his eyes widening. “Put that thought right back inside your head, Coop.”“What?”“You’re suggesting I go as your fake boyfriend!”“Yes, mostly because of the three reasons I just described.”“How could you forsake me like this?”8TH BFFAs - NOMINEE: ONESHOT FLUFF and TROPEFEST
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 16
Kudos: 109
Collections: 8th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	a very Cooper christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sabrinasaenz1d](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabrinasaenz1d/gifts).



> Welcome to the Christmas fic I said I was never going to write
> 
> This is mature because of the language and the mild smut that we eventually will get to
> 
> I mean it when I say this is idiots to lovers because they are so fucking stupid it's amazing really

Betty Cooper had a lot of things in life: a supportive family, a stellar GPA at NYU, a social life that was pretty great… but if there was one thing Betty wished she had, it was Jughead Jones. 

Dark-haired, blue-eyed, snarky, irresistible Jughead Jones. 

They had known each other since their first day of college classes, as they had the same freshman English class - the one at 9:05AM, Monday-Wednesday-Friday with a TA that couldn’t give a shit. They had sat down next to each other that first day in the front of the lecture hall, but they had eventually gravitated towards the back, pointing out people falling asleep and the TA’s unwillingness under their breath. With Jughead being a Creative Writing major and herself being an English major, they ended up in a lot of the same classes. Some of their requirements for their degrees overlapped, and after becoming inseparable they made sure they ended up in the same classes when they could. 

Halfway through junior year was when Betty realized she was interested in Jughead, mostly because he was all she could talk about on the phone to Polly one weekend. 

“Betty, I called to ask about _you,”_ she said. “Is there anything else going on in your life except for your apparently developing crush on Jughead Jones?” 

Betty tried to deflect, but Polly had a point. She cancelled on her friends whenever Jughead wanted to meet up. He was the first person she always called when she had a question about homework, even when he wasn’t in the class. She found herself sometimes staying the night at Jughead’s apartment after their movie nights, then waking up and making coffee for the both of them. 

After that conversation, it was hard for Betty to ignore the way they acted around each other. 

Betty had been living in the reality of knowing she wanted Jughead Jones to herself for ten long months… and she had yet to make a move. Jughead had yet to make a move either, which made Betty almost think the feeling wasn’t mutual. 

She hoped and hoped and hoped the feeling was mutual. After all the time they’d spent together, she knew she would be heartbroken if he were to tell her he didn’t feel for her what she felt for him. It was probably for that reason why she hadn’t made a move.

(It was absolutely for that reason why she hadn’t made a move.)

If it weren’t for the way Jughead only really, truly smiled when she was around, Betty wouldn’t be sure that there was a potential for him liking her back. His normally broody, quirky personality turned most away… but it gave Betty butterflies when he rambled on about classic films and books he loved, and the passion that he had for writing. His appetite was another beast entirely. Betty loved baking, and he was her official taste-tester for all of her culinary masterpieces. They had an unspoken rule that Betty couldn’t share her baked goods with anyone until Jughead had a taste first. It started because of a 2AM stress-baking session early in their sophomore year, where Betty just needed a companion to eat her cookies with and Jughead was a known night-owl. He made her swear after that to tell him when she baked more because he ate all but two cookies - the two she ate.

(He always approved of whatever she made, like she knew he would. “It’s out of precaution, Betts. You know that.”)

Even with being such good friends with Jughead, Betty wanted more with him. She wanted to be his everything, and he already was her everything. Jughead was her world. 

But Jughead was oblivious. 

It had been ten months since Betty’s bombshell revelation that she was crushing on Jughead hard and she was still at a loss as to how best to approach the situation. Winter break of her senior year was coming up, and Polly had let slip to the rest of the Cooper clan at Thanksgiving that Betty didn’t have a boyfriend, but instead had a crush. 

As the baby of the family, Betty was the only one without a plus one at holidays - Charles had his husband Leo, Polly had her fiancee Jason, and Betty had her GPA… but now the Coopers all knew that she had a crush on Jughead. They were unsurprisingly supportive and enthusiastic, and Betty had always been open about things with her family. 

It was finals week, and she was on FaceTime with her parents when Betty remembered that her family knew about her affections. 

“So,” Alice dug. “How is Jughead?” 

“Groveling on about flying out to Toledo, eating everything in sight, wishing he could be watching Tarantino instead of studying for finals,” Betty replied. Jughead was from Ohio and on a prestigious scholarship to NYU, one that paid his out-of-state tuition. 

“Is the weather bad in Ohio right now?” Hal asked. 

“The snow’s come down more than usual, and Jughead is awful about driving in the snow,” she said. “When we had that blizzard last week he stayed in my apartment on the couch just so he wouldn’t have to drive back and be stranded at his apartment by himself.” 

“You could invite him to Riverdale until the snow in Toledo goes away enough for him to come home,” Alice said. 

“Alright, is this about you wanting Jughead and I to get together or is this actually, like, you guys wanting to help my friend out so he doesn’t have to stay on campus?”

“Yes,” Alice and Hal said together. Betty groaned. 

“Your father and I were actually talking about a way to get him here so that he could see how amazing you are.” 

“Oh, really? Why not include me?” 

“That’s what we’re doing right now,” Hal replied. “Did you know that most people who “fake date” to appease people often end up realizing they make a good couple?” 

“Don’t tell me you both watched Holidate—“ 

“We did,” Alice interrupted. “Betty, if he has feelings too he’ll have a chance to tell you at some point that he feels that way.” 

“And what if he doesn’t, mom? What then?” 

“He’ll have to pretend he does.” 

“What on earth are you talking about?” 

“Bring him as your fake date to Christmas,” her father said. “Tell him you need a fake date for Christmas because you accidentally told us you had a boyfriend when you didn’t.” 

“Well what’s the use in that? You both know it would be fake.” 

“Exactly,” Alice said. “We’re going to act like it’s real.”

**\---**

Jughead opened the door to his apartment and Betty pushed her way through, letting herself in. 

“Why, my dearest friend, just come on in,” he said to the now empty balcony just before closing the door and turning to her. “What happened to your Cooper Manners, Elizabeth?” 

“I have a problem concerning those Coopers, Jughead, and I need your help.” 

“Spill,” he replied, flopping onto his couch. Betty pushed his feet off so she could sit there. 

“So you know how I always call them on Sundays, right?” 

“I gather you already have for the day.” 

“Yes, and they kept pestering me about whether I was bringing someone home as a plus one, so to get them off my back I told them I had a boyfriend.” 

“Oh, Betty, Betty, Betty - you do not have one of those.” 

“Hey, cut the sarcasm,” she told him. “Since you hate driving in the snow, love food, and can’t go to Toledo…” 

“Oh no,” he said, his eyes widening. “Put that thought right back inside your head, Coop.” 

“What?” 

“You’re suggesting I go as your fake boyfriend!” 

“Yes, mostly because of the three reasons I just described.” 

“How could you forsake me like this?” 

“Jug, please?” She asked politely. “My family’s going to make me bake and cook and I just really, really, really need your help, Jug.” 

“So I hear you mentioned your cooking,” he said, sitting up straight. 

“It’s going to be me and my mom mostly,” she said. “And she was the one who taught me so…”

“Hmmmmm…” he thought, tapping his chin. “You know what? I’m in. And I’m splitting the gas with you - no ifs, ands, or buts about it.” 

“Really?” She asked, perking up. 

“I can’t just cop out on you, Betty. You were obviously very intent on getting _me_ to go, of all people.” He sat up. “Of all of your friends, you couldn’t ask one of your more _social_ friends to go? What about Kevin?” 

“He’s gay and has plans with his boyfriend,” she replied. “And besides, you know me _way_ better than Kevin does.” Betty crossed her arms. “Kevin doesn’t know about that time I took five shots and sang Mariah Carey’s _All I Want For Christmas Is You_ and hit all the notes on my twenty-first birthday in that karaoke bar.” 

“Fair point,” Jughead said. “Well… now that’s settled… you up for some Mario Kart?” 

“Let me send out a quick text first,” Betty told him, pulling out her phone. “You go ahead and get set up and everything.”

_He’s in._

**\---**

_Two weeks later - December 23rd_

“How many times do I have to ask you to get your _fucking feet_ off my dashboard?” Betty said, swiping Jughead’s legs down so his shoes hit the floorboards with a thump. 

With his phone in one hand and a bag of Cheez-its in the other, Jughead gave her an offended look as he sat up. 

“Ms. Cooper, that is _not_ how you pretend to be my girlfriend,” he teased. 

Jughead could be oh so frustrating at times, but it always faded away once she looked into his deep blue eyes. She was gone for him, and she knew it. Which is why they were doing this in the first place.

“Bold of you to finally speak after stuffing your face with all of our snacks,” she quipped, trying to hide the blush on her face. She could only blame _that_ on his smug smirk. 

“Which I’ve only done in protest to you not letting me use the aux.” 

“Okay, fine. Let me fill you in on what’s going to happen when we get to my parents’ house in an hour and then you can use the aux.” Jughead nodded approvingly, willing her to continue. “So it’s going to be us, my parents, my broth--” 

“But what are your parents’ _names?”_

“You’re not calling them Alice and Hal unless they tell you to.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I said so,” she replied. _“Anyways,_ my brother Charles and his husband Leo will be there too. So will my sister Polly and her fiancé Jason… and their twins Juniper and Dagwood. They’re both five years old.” 

“You didn’t mention there were going to be kids,” he said. “Does that make me Uncle Jughead?” 

“If you want to be Uncle Jughead, you may,” Betty told him, smiling at the idea of him with her niece and nephew. “Tonight we’re going to have dinner and my parents will probably institute family game night or family movie night.” 

“Question,” Jughead interrupted. “Will there be alcohol?” 

“Yes,” she replied. “Don’t go crazy, not because I don’t want you drunk, but because you need to save some for the rest of us.” He laughed. “Tomorrow morning is when we get our tree.” 

“Why so late?” he asked. “Most people have them up as soon as Halloween is over,” Jughead said. “Except for my family. I must have my fill of turkey before I hear _one_ note of a Christmas song.” 

“It’s tradition for us,” Betty shrugged. “The Riverdale Tree Farm saves a tree for us every year.” She glanced over at Jughead to see him looking at her intently. “Lots of baking is also done on Christmas Eve, and we usually have our nice family dinner that night too, followed by _Elf.”_

“A quite respectable choice in film,” Jughead replied. 

“Christmas morning is Christmas morning - presents, breakfast, kids playing with their new toys. Lunch is usually leftovers from Christmas Eve, then we have a bigger dinner with a good amount of family friends and a bit of a party.” 

“A _party?”_ he asked, offended. “You know I don’t do parties.” 

“It’s really a dinner party and a social hour with snacks, eggnog, hot chocolate, and various amounts of alcohol,” she replied. “It’s not a big deal, Jug.” Betty placed her hand on his knee and squeezed. “I’ll stay with you during it - I know you don’t really like parties.” 

“Fine,” he relented. Betty regretfully pulled her hand away. “Just for you, Cooper. What else?” 

“We’ll stay another night and then hopefully Toledo will have melted enough for you to catch your flight the day after Christmas,” she told him. “What do you think?” 

“Sounds like a lot of eating,” he replied.

“We usually do the Christmas Eve service at church but my mom accidentally offended the pastor’s wife by bringing a cake better than her own so… we’re taking some time away from them until nobody cares anymore,” Betty explained. 

“I see,” he chuckled. “You should really tell me about your family more, Betts. They sound hilarious.” 

“Stop trying to flatter me,” she replied, shoving the aux in his direction and attempting to mask herself being flattered. “Do what you will.” 

“Yes!” he cheered, plugging in his phone and pulling up one of his playlists. 

**\---**

Betty was nervous as she pulled her car into the Cooper driveway. It was less about how her family would act around Jughead, but about how he would act around them… and around _her._ Betty wanted to know how he would act as her fake boyfriend. Maybe by the end of it all she’d be able to finally pluck up the courage and ask him out for real. 

She didn’t have to wait too long, because as soon as Betty and Jughead grabbed their bags from her trunk, her parents ran out _in the snow_ to greet them. 

Even as the shock took over her body, Jughead reacted immediately and snapped into her side like they were two legos. He wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling and waving at the Coopers. 

(Somehow he was _warm_ in the _snow._ Betty thought she was going to melt.)

Alice and Hal came out to hug Betty and shake Jughead’s hand. As she watched her parents interact with him, she found him to be extremely charming with them, even going so far as to bring her into his side again. 

Just after her parents began ushering them inside, Jughead offered to take her stuff along with his own. When the front door closed behind them and their frozen noses were given a chance to thaw, Jughead set their stuff down while Alice and Hal pulled he and Betty into the living room. Jughead met her eldest sibling Charles and his husband Leo, then her older sister Polly, her husband Jason, and their twins - Dagwood and Juniper. 

Betty could tell that Jughead was starting to get overwhelmed with all of the commotion, so she got them away so they could unpack in peace. Jughead seemed relieved when she dragged him upstairs to her childhood bedroom and shut the door behind them. Betty took their bags and dropped them on her bed quickly before turning back to him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked, her hand finding his bicep over his parka. “I know that was a lot, especially with two five year-olds.” 

“Yeah,” he sighed, dusting snow off of his grey beanie - the one always on his head. “It was a lot, but I’ll get used to it, I guess.”

They took off their snowy jackets together and hung them up to dry on various places in her room as they spoke about what was next and some of the logistics of their fake relationship. Jughead asked a few questions about some of her family members. 

“Hey… thanks for reacting so quickly when my parents came out,” she told him just before they were about to go back downstairs. “They can be a bit… energetic and unpredictable sometimes… but they have huge hearts and they mean well.” 

“I’m your fake boyfriend of choice, aren’t I?” he replied jokingly. “It’s kinda my job, Betts.” Jughead offered his hand as he opened the door. “Let’s go fake the shit out of your parents, _babe.”_

**\---**

Dinner came and went mostly without consequence - the twins didn’t even throw too big of a fit when their parents made them finish the broccoli on their plates before getting dessert. 

As Betty looked around, seeing her whole family together… she felt a warm happiness. For once she wasn’t the odd one out, she had Jughead by her side this time. He acted the perfect fake boyfriend, even if she knew that her entire family knew he was faking… but there was still something Betty needed to bring up with Jughead. 

“The sooner these plates get clean, the sooner we can--” 

“I’ll take the dishes,” Betty offered, cutting off her mom. She started collecting everyone’s plates even though Alice protested, but Jughead offered to help too and followed Betty into the kitchen. 

“Everything okay?” he asked quietly, standing next to her at the sink so their shoulders were touching. “How am I doing so far?” 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Betty replied, smiling. “And you’re doing great - I can tell they like you, but…” 

“But what?” Jughead inquired as he stopped scrubbing the last dish so he could look at her. “Do I need to do more?” 

“A little, I think,” she said, looking up into his eyes and almost getting lost there. “Like, words are one thing, but actions are another… if that makes sense?” 

“I hear you loud and clear, Coop,” he replied. Jughead quickly finished rinsing the plate he was holding then dried off his hands. Betty wasn’t really paying attention, but he scooped her into a hug without any warning. She squealed then laughed as Jughead spun her around so he could press a chaste kiss to her forehead. 

Time froze for a second. Betty hadn’t expected Jughead’s lips to be so warm and soft, but that one kiss set her skin on fire and gave her goosebumps at the same time.

“There better not be any funny business going on in there!” Hal teased from the dining room, catapulting them back into the present. 

Betty laughed again, much quieter and into Jughead’s chest this time. 

“Satisfactory?” he chuckled. 

“Keep up the great work, Jug,” Betty told him. 

Before long, Alice pulled them into the living room… where she had pulled out Monopoly. Everyone was sitting around the tiny coffee table as Alice announced they would be playing _team_ Monopoly. 

Clinging to Jughead’s arm nervously, Betty looked at her mother skeptically. 

“We’ll be doing it in teams of two now that we have an even number,” Alice said. “I’ll be with Hal, Charles will be with Leo. Polly - you and Jason decide who’s going to be with which twin… and Betty and Jughead will be teamed up.” 

Betty let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Jughead seemed to notice, as he slid his arm around her back and used his thumb to rub soothing patterns on her side. They moved over to one of the couches, quickly deciding on their strategy and picking the top hat piece to be theirs. 

It was decided that Jughead was going to keep track of their money while Betty was going to focus on strategy and upgrading properties during the game, as she was the one that had done a lot better in the business class they took in sophomore year. 

Polly and Juniper were the first ones bankrupt thanks to Betty’s two hotels on one of their lower-cost properties. 

Charles and Leo had to sell all of their properties because Betty and Jughead somehow ended up with all four railroads. 

Jason and Dagwood went bankrupt because Dagwood refused to sell his favorite property on the board. 

At last, Betty and Jughead and her parents were locked in an intense battle. 

She was thinking about their potential moves when Jughead leaned over and whispered in her ear. 

“Upgrade St. James Place to a hotel,” he said. “We’ve got the money, and the most common roll on a pair of dice is a seven.” Jughead paused. “They don’t have enough money to pay that rent.” 

Betty thought about it. Her parents’ piece was seven spaces away from their property, St. James Place, and Betty knew Jughead had been watching her dad try to quietly conceal how much money they had left even though subtlety had never been his strong point. She looked over at him and saw that he was serious. Betty held her fist towards him and Jughead bumped it with his own. 

“I’d like to purchase a hotel for St. James Place,” Betty announced to her Charles, who was acting as the banker. 

“Very well,” he replied. Betty exchanged the four houses for the one hotel on the space. 

Alice rolled the dice, and Betty and Jughead waited impatiently for the dice to stop spinning. 

It was a seven. 

Alice moved the piece. “How much do I owe you?” 

“That’ll be $950,” Jughead said smugly. 

“Hal?” Alice asked. Betty’s father scrambled counting and recounting the colored bills in his hands. 

“We don’t have enough,” he announced. “We’re off by five.” 

“What?” 

“We’ve got to declare bankruptcy, Alice.” 

Betty and Jughead celebrated silently as everyone sold everything and counted up their game money, revealing that they had accumulated the most wealth. 

“I am forced to declare Betty and Jughead the Monopoly Champions of this household,” Charles announced. 

Jughead yanked Betty towards him. She laughed brightly, smiling so hard that her eyes closed. Jughead wrapped both of his arms around her and kissed her temple sweetly. Betty melted into his side as her family watched them. It was only a moment of bliss though, because it was time for the twins to go to bed. 

And Dagwood and Juniper did _not_ want to go to bed. 

They excused themselves quietly, Betty taking Jughead’s hand and pulling him around the corner and up the stairs. They walked side by side down the hall and into her bedroom. Once the door was shut they both laughed. 

And then they were confronted with their sleeping accommodations: the one and only queen bed in her room. 

Betty knew that her parents had the master bedroom, Charles and Leo had the guest room, and Polly, Jason, and their kids were all crammed into her childhood bedroom… which only left Betty’s room. 

Evidently, they could both feel the awkward silence between them. 

“I can take the couch downstairs,” Jughead shrugged. 

“I can’t let you do that, Jug,” Betty said. “If someone gets up in the middle of the night and sees you on the couch they’re going to ask questions.” 

“Fair point…” he replied pensively. “I can take the floor--“

“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor, Jones,” she told him. “It’s a queen. We can both fit in it.” 

“Do I have to remind you about that time I slept on the floor in your apartment?” 

“Do _I_ have to remind _you_ that you complained about it for the entirety of the next day?” Betty countered. 

Jughead sighed. “You’re sure?” 

“Just sleep in the damn bed with me, Jughead,” Betty insisted. “It won’t kill you for three nights.” 

“Okay, okay!” he finally relented. “You can have first shower, if you’d like.” 

“I would like,” she replied. “Thank you.” 

**\---**

One of the things Betty had always liked about coming home from school was sleeping in her own bed. She found that she slept so much better when she wasn’t at NYU, probably because she didn’t have any work to do and she could sleep in as much as she wanted. 

Christmas Eve morning was no exception. As Betty stirred she could feel herself going right back to sleep… until she nuzzled into something that was _definitely_ more firm and warm than her pillow. It moved a little and Betty opened her eyes fully. 

She was hugging Jughead’s _arm._ And her head was on his _shoulder._

He groaned softly next to her and his head tilted, his chin resting against her forehead. Jughead stiffened in Betty’s grip as she attempted to remain as still as possible, hoping he would go back to sleep. 

He did not. 

“Shit, wait--” he muttered. Betty looked up at Jughead and saw he was staring back at her. 

“I’m sorry,” Betty said, pulling away from his arm and sliding back onto her side of the bed. “I didn’t mean--” 

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “Don’t worry about it, Betts.” 

“But--” 

“Seriously, Coop,” Jughead added with a smile. “I mean… I was comfortable, and apparently you were too.” 

Betty blushed as soon as he turned his back and went into the bathroom attached to her room. She made herself shake off all of that embarrassment in a short amount of time, then proceeded to get dressed while Jughead brushed his teeth. They switched places wordlessly a few minutes later, then went downstairs together once they were both dressed. 

“Day two,” she said to him on the way down the stairs. 

“You say that so ominously, Betts,” he chuckled. 

“There’s a reason.” 

“Betty! Jughead! Good morning,” Hal greeted from the bottom of the stairs. Jughead grabbed her hand very quickly and Betty stumbled over her feet a little. 

“Good morning, dad,” Betty greeted, recovering quickly as they got off of the stairs together. “What’s going on?” 

“Well… the Cooper men were going to pick out the Christmas tree,” he replied. “It’s going to be me, Charles, Leo, and Jason. Would you like to come, Jughead?” 

Betty looked up at him and he had the same idea, looking at her. She shrugged and pushed him towards her father a little. 

“Sure, Mr. Cooper. That sounds great,” Jughead said, looking back at Hal. “I’ll go grab my coat.” 

Before turning to run back up the stairs, Jughead kissed Betty’s cheek. Once he was gone, Betty looked at her dad. 

“He’s a good one, Betty,” he told her. “Oh! And your mom and sister need your help with all of the baking in the kitchen. I figured you’d want to join them.” 

“I do, actually. Sounds fun,” she said. “Don’t give Jug too hard of a time out there, will you?” 

“Scout’s honor, kid.” Jughead ran down the stairs a moment later, shoving his arms through the arms of his jacket and pulling his beanie over his ears a bit more. “Alright, gentlemen, let’s get a move on.” 

Betty gave Jughead’s hand a squeeze before he left, feeling his hesitation. 

“Bye.” 

“Bye,” she replied. “See you later.” 

The door shut behind the six of them and Betty turned to see her mother and Polly apparently waiting for her. 

“Oh lord,” she said to herself quickly. 

“He looks so smitten!” Polly squealed. 

“Elizabeth, you never told me he would be so polite,” Alice said. 

“Hold on, hold on - mom, did you decide to use up every room in the house just so Jughead would be forced to sleep next to me?” Betty asked. 

“That I did,” her mother replied. “I would never deny it, and Charles knew you would never let him sleep on the floor of your bedroom.” 

“And I agreed with him,” Polly added. “Were we right?” 

“No,” Betty said, crossing her arms. Both of the women gave her a pointed look. “Okay, fine, yes. You were right.” 

Once she relented, Betty was pulled into the kitchen by her mother and sister. Pretty soon after she was set to work on the three-layer chocolate cake her mother wanted her to make, Polly started pulling out and putting more Christmas cookies in the oven. To keep the twins out of trouble, she let them decorate a few of the cookies (they all knew that they three would ice the rest of them, but they let the kids have a bit of fun). Alice was working on her famous apple pie that even Betty couldn’t replicate. 

(She had tried and failed oh so many times.) 

Betty was working on frosting the chocolate cake a few hours later when the boys returned with their Christmas tree. There was a bit of complaining from the foyer when they first opened the door and heavy footsteps coming from behind her. Betty kept frosting the cake in front of her, ignoring the boys putting up the tree in the living room. 

One of those boys wrapped his arms around her from behind. By his height and the smell of his shampoo alone, Betty knew it was Jughead. He kissed her cheek wordlessly, making her smile embarrassingly hard. 

“Smells amazing, Betts,” Jughead hummed, his chin resting on her shoulder. 

Alice, evidently surprised while she put the finishing touches on her pie, looked over at them. 

“Mom, this is my certified taste tester at NYU, Mr. Jughead Jones,” Betty said, continuing her work. 

“Guilty, Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead added. “Can I have a taste?” 

He started reaching a finger towards the bowl of chocolate frosting and Betty swatted his hand away. 

“You can lick the spoon when I’m done,” she told him. 

“HEY!” The twins cried out in unison. Betty had _also_ promised them they could lick the spoon but she ignored them. Polly got their attention and offered them something else sweet. 

“Okay, that’s fair,” Jughead told her, kissing her cheek again. 

A few minutes later, Hal reached a hand towards Alice’s apple pie, only for said hand to be slapped. 

Betty and Jughead laughed quietly, still wrapped in the same hug and his cheek pressed into hers. 

**\---**

Betty proposed Pop’s (the local diner) for lunch, knowing full well how much Jughead liked burgers. Before they place the order, Betty showed Jughead their online menu and his mouth was a few seconds from watering by the time he wrote down his order. Hal brought all of the food back in greasy white bags and Betty was afraid Jughead would tackle him so he could get to his burger. 

While he scarfed down his burger and order of fries, one of Jughead’s hands was on Betty’s knee. He squeezed every time he felt like moaning in delight at the taste… and she could tell he was trying to tone it down for her family so they wouldn’t think he was insane. 

“This is _heavenly,”_ he whispered in her ear. “We’re hitting up that place before I leave for the airport.” 

Jughead couldn’t stop smiling, which made Betty smile right back at him. He was so adorable, smiling ear to ear about a _burger_ of all things. She was so glad she brought him home with her. It was just nice to be able to navigate family politics with someone by her side, and Jughead had been so cool and collected throughout the entire thing. Not to mention that her family _genuinely_ liked him, and not just because she liked him. 

In reality, he was driving her _crazy._

Ever since she’d asked him to be a bit more physical, he’d done so. It was so frustrating that his hands were always somehow touching her innocently and she couldn’t turn around, pin him against the wall and just tell him how she’s felt after so long. 

He thought they were faking this for her parents… but everyone else _knew_ he was faking. 

(Except maybe the twins, who had started calling Jughead _Uncle Jug._ )

The logic was starting to elude Betty, if she were being honest. 

And then Polly put “Elf” on the TV while they decorated the Christmas tree together. All of a sudden, everyone was in the living room going through ornaments and various decorations. Charles and Leo ended up finding an old photo with Santa when Betty was barely two and bawling her eyes out while Charles and Polly just smiled at the camera. 

“Aww, Betts. C’mon, it’s funny,” Jughead said. That earned him a playful slug in the shoulder. 

(When her back was turned, he took a picture of it, but Betty didn’t know that.) 

From behind where Betty and Jughead were sorting through silver and gold garland, Jason was with the twins as they went through decorations. Betty could hear the conversation going on behind her, but she wasn’t listening. 

“When someone walks underneath the mistletoe, someone else has to kiss them,” Jason explained. 

“Yucky,” Juniper said. Dagwood just laughed. “Why would anyone do that? It’s gross!” 

“UNCLE JUG!” Dagwood shouted. “CATCH!” 

Jughead didn’t turn around in time to see the leafy plant hurtling at him, and Betty only looked up once he’d been hit in the head with it. 

The bundle of mistletoe had landed on top of Jughead’s beanie. 

In true dramatic fashion, everything in the room came to a screeching halt, except for the twins laughing behind them. 

“HAHAHA! UNCLE JUG HAS TO KISS AUNTIE BETTY!” 

“That’s gross!” Juniper added.

Jughead, barely phased, pulled the plant off of his head. After processing what exactly it was, Betty saw his eyes flick up to her lips. He grinned, tossing the mistletoe behind him, reaching up, and grabbing her face in his hands. 

Before she could process _anything at all,_ his lips were on hers. 

Betty grabbed the collar of the sherpa jacket he was wearing desperately to catch herself. It amazed her how he hadn’t given the notion much thought before kissing her so openly, so quickly. 

At the end of the day, though, who was she to complain? This is what she had been _wanting._

When he finally pulled out of the kiss, Betty knew the rest of her family was probably whooping and hollering, but she couldn’t hear them because of the dazed and stunned look in Jughead’s eyes. He seemed just as breathless as she was. 

Jughead recovered first right as Betty resurfaced, pulling her into a tight hug so she could hide her face in his shoulder. She was lucky that the bright red blush on her face was concealed from everyone, _including_ Jughead, because her face felt so warm she thought she was getting a fever. 

Just to seal the deal, Jughead left a quick kiss on the crown of her head, then ducked down so his mouth was at her ear. 

“You okay?” he asked in a whisper. “I know that was fast.” 

Betty just nodded, hugging him a little tighter. “Thank you for reacting so quick,” she replied. 

“Of course,” Jughead whispered. “Anything for my fake girlfriend.” She laughed quietly. “Come back out when you’re ready.” 

**\---**

A few hours later, Alice pulled Betty away from tree decorating to help with dinner, which ended up including a good amount of baking. 

Jughead, too, ended up in the kitchen. He’d been led there by his nose and he heartily offered to taste-test everything Betty and Alice were making, but the two Cooper women shooed him out repeatedly. By the time dinner was ready, the tree had been decorated immaculately and Jughead was a few seconds away from devouring everything Betty and Alice had prepared. 

During the 24 hours that Betty and Jughead had been pretending to be a couple in front of her family, they had fallen into a bit of a natural and comfortable rhythm of subtle public displays of affection. The innocent touches on arms, elbows, and shoulders were much more fluid than they had been when they first arrived. 

In a bold move, Betty placed her hand on Jughead’s knee very obviously underneath the table. What had surprised _her_ was when he held said hand as he managed to gobble down several plates of food. This was normal, so Betty was unfazed but her siblings and parents watched in awe as Jughead shoveled the meal down his throat. 

When he finally noticed all of her family staring at him on his fifth plate, Betty couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What?” he asked innocently. 

Betty couldn’t stop laughing to respond. 

“We were just wondering if you’ve had enough to eat, Jug,” Leo said from beside Charles. 

“They’re not used to your appetite,” Betty managed to add between laughs. 

Jughead’s face turned red as a tomato. “Oh… I guess I haven’t eaten _this much_ in front of you before.” 

“He’s still got room for dessert,” she added. Alice’s jaw dropped. Jughead nodded, smiling at Betty. 

“I’m just stunned because usually we have enough leftovers to feed us for a week, but we barely have enough for one day,” Polly said. “Betty, you saved fridge space when you brought him home.” 

After the shock of Jughead’s immense appetite wore off and the dishes were done, Charles and Polly both decided they wanted to take their significant others (and Juniper and Dagwood, by extension) to see Riverdale’s Christmas lights. 

“Would you two like to come with us?” Charles asked Betty and Jughead, who were sitting hip to hip on one of the Coopers’ couches. 

“That sounds cool,” Jughead replied. “Wanna come with, Betts?” 

“Yeah, I really like that idea,” she said. “Are mom and dad coming?” 

“They’ve still got some things to do here, but mom offered to make us all hot chocolate,” Polly told them. “To be honest, we just need the kids to get some energy out so they’ll actually fall asleep tonight,” she added in a whisper. Jason nodded in agreement, his eyes widening at the thought of those twins being too excited to sleep. 

“I’ll go get the truck started,” Leo said, kissing Charles before bundling up in his puffer jacket and exiting through the front door. 

“Get all the warm stuff you need ‘cause we’re not turning around once we leave,” Charles told them, heading towards the guest room. 

Betty and Jughead went back to her room, grabbing their heavier coats and good gloves and hats (Jughead already had his on his head). Jughead went to the bathroom while Betty picked out two blankets for them and wrapped herself in her wool scarf, sherpa-lined gloves, and pulled a knit hat over her ears. Jughead came out of the bathroom a minute later, seeing her all bundled up and ready to face the cold. 

“Are you sure you’ve got enough on?” he asked sarcastically, walking over to his gloves on her bed. 

“What? Is it too much?” 

“I was just kidding, Betts,” Jughead replied, pushing his hands into his gloves. “I think you look absolutely _adorable_ like this.” He tapped her nose with one finger, making her giggle. 

On their way out the door a minute later, Alice and Hal had a tray of thermoses filled with hot chocolate. When they got outside, Betty saw that Leo was in the driver’s seat of their pickup truck with Charles on the passenger side. Polly, Jason, and the twins were in the flat bed. 

Jason spotted them. “Hey! Welcome aboard!” He lowered the tailgate, allowing them to get up. Betty set their blankets on the flattened tailgate but before she could jump up, Jughead grabbed her waist and lifted her up there himself. This surprised Betty, but it didn’t stop her cheeks from flushing brightly in the cold. Jughead jumped up beside her a few seconds later and closed the tailgate behind them. 

With Polly and Jason seated on one side of the truck bed with Juniper and Dagwood on the other side, Jughead and Betty opted to sit against the closed tailgate. Betty laid a still-folded blanket on the floor of the truck bed for them to sit on, then covered their laps with the other blanket. Just as she started to get comfortable, Jughead wrapped his arm around Betty’s shoulders, pulling her closer. 

Betty didn’t understand how he was so warm. It was New York in the winter, and Riverdale had snow on the ground… yet Jughead Jones was like her own personal radiator. 

Leo rolled out of the Cooper driveway a few seconds later, and Charles found the local radio station that was playing nonstop Christmas music, turning up the volume enough for the twins to hear and scream-sing along to. Polly and Jason had them quiet down a bit, but that didn’t stop them from crawling around the truck bed so they could see both sides of the street. 

“So how good are these Christmas lights?” Jughead asked Betty between sips of hot chocolate. 

“I’d say they’re pretty spectacular for a small town like Riverdale,” she replied. 

“Better than New York City?” 

“Nothing could top the Big Apple,” Betty told him, finishing off her own thermos of hot chocolate. “Aren’t you at least a _little_ cold?” she asked Jughead, shivering a little. 

“Nope,” he said. “Are you?” Betty nodded. “I can fix that.” 

“Wh--” 

Before Betty could ask what he was going to do, Jughead pulled the blanket off their laps and picked her up. He placed her between his legs and brought his knees up to insulate her. Betty was shocked when she found her back resting against Jughead’s warm chest while he wrapped them in their other blanket. 

“How’s this?” he asked, bringing his arms around her. 

She was _much_ warmer, and she told him as much. He then proceeded to give her the rest of his hot chocolate and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. 

“Tonight will be a failure if I let you freeze,” he whispered. “I’ll grab a brownie when I get home to make up for the chocolate I’m losing.” Betty laughed, drinking the rest of his hot chocolate and getting much warmer by the second in their new position. 

As Leo turned the truck onto Main Street, the twins stopped running back and forth across the truck bed and stared up in wonder. Betty let herself relax against Jughead’s chest with a smile on her face at the sight of all of the lights strung downtown. 

“You weren’t lying,” he said in her ear. “These _are_ pretty good for a small town.” 

They rode around town for just under an hour as Charles directed Leo to drive through downtown, into the rich neighborhood, the suburbs, and just around town. Betty stayed in Jughead’s warm arms, both of them laughing at Jason and Polly’s twins and their attempts to get them to stop running around. By the time they pulled back onto Elm Street, Juniper and Dagwood had fallen asleep in their parents’ laps. 

The radio was playing a song that Betty knew was from _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and Jughead continued to be just as warm as ever in his spot behind her. She knew though his body was warm his face was cold, as was hers. Her nose, in particular, was numb and based on Jughead’s intermittent sniffles, his was too. 

Leo pulled into the Cooper driveway again and everyone started getting out as quiet as possible so they wouldn’t wake the twins. Betty and Jughead stood up, letting Jason and Polly with Juniper and Dagwood get out first. Jughead jumped down from the open tailgate and Betty was going to follow the same way until he grabbed her waist again, carefully lifting her and setting her feet on the ground. 

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, still surprised at the action. 

“Of course,” he replied, kissing her cheek. “Let me help you with that.” Jughead grabbed the two folded blankets from her arms, allowing Betty to grab their thermoses. As they went inside, Leo locked the truck with Charles’ arm slung over his shoulder. 

“Welcome back,” Alice greeted. “I’ll take those.” Before Betty could protest, her mother took the two empty thermoses from her hands. “I suggest you two go get some rest because of the party and everything tomorrow. It _is_ Christmas after all.” 

Betty knew her parents were probably just finishing up with wrapping presents and putting them under the tree. 

“That sounds like a plan, Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead replied. Betty looked up to see that _ridiculously handsome_ slanted smile of his. She was lost in him for a moment, until he grabbed her hand with his free one and started booking it up the stairs with her in tow. 

“Goodnight, mom!” Betty called over her shoulder. Jughead pulled them into her room a few moments later and they both started laughing. He set the blankets on her bed as they stood face to face, giggling about nothing. 

When they stopped, the silence between them was deafening. There was an unfamiliar glint in Jughead’s eye, as if he were holding something back (which was unfamiliar only because Jughead tended to say what was on his mind). Betty got lost in the deep blues of his eyes as he pulled his grey beanie off his head and threw it on the bed behind him. 

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he told her earnestly. “Seriously.” 

“I’m glad,” she replied. The silence returned for a few moments. “You can have the first shower tonight.” 

“Sure. Yeah,” Jughead said, taking off his heavy coat and gloves. “Thanks.” 

Betty let out a breath when the door closed behind him. Rather than letting her mind swirl with her feelings for Jughead, Betty busied herself with taking off her coat, hat, gloves, and scarf. She toed off her shoes and put the blankets they’d used in the hamper, not forgetting to straighten out her bedsheets and ready her pajamas for when it was her turn to use the shower. 

Jughead came out in his pajamas, hair already tousled and curly even though it was still mostly wet. Though Betty was tempted to just stay and finally confess her feelings to him at the _attractive_ sight of him, she slipped into the bathroom as quickly as she could. 

Twenty minutes later, Betty was squeaky clean and ready for bed. Even her hair had mostly dried, curling up a little by itself. In her flannel pajama pants and old Riverdale High Cheer t-shirt, she exited the bathroom to see Jughead under the covers of her bed, on his designated side, and his blue eyes peering at her. Betty stopped, tilting her head to one side in confusion. 

“Are you okay over there?” she asked. 

“Cold,” Jughead said simply. 

“It tends to do that in New York,” Betty replied. “What - do you want a blanket?” 

“No, I’d get too warm.” 

“Hmmm… I suppose I could be your heater for the night,” she proposed. “Like you were in the back of the truck earlier.” 

Jughead nodded, a dopey smile on his face. Betty rolled her eyes in response, sliding into her bed next to him and turning off the lamp on her side. When she turned to Jughead, Betty found that he had shifted onto his side so he was looking at her. 

“You’re clingy tonight,” she commented, scooting closer. 

Jughead didn’t reply, he just opened one of his arms so she could slide into his chest. Betty strung an arm across his torso while he pulled her shoulders closer to his chest. 

“Ah,” he sighed. “That’s much better.” 

“Can’t let you get hypothermia - we’ve still got another day and a half,” she replied, doing her best to make sure they were adequately covered by her light pink sheets with peaches on them. 

“I can’t wait,” Jughead yawned. “Thank you for choosing me to be your fake boyfriend,” he whispered, his eyes drifting shut. 

Betty grinned at his comment, letting herself get comfortable before closing her own eyes and allowing sleep to come to her. 

**\---**

The sound of screams made Betty’s eyes snap open. As a few groggy seconds passed, she realized they were excited screams belonging to her niece and nephew. 

“Nngh,” Betty groaned. 

“Go back to sleep, Betts,” Jughead whispered, also hearing an exhausted Jason and Polly following their twins down the stairs and trying to keep them quiet. 

“What time is it?” she grumbled, her eyelids drooping as she melted further into Jughead’s embrace. 

“It’s barely five in the morning,” he told her softly, rubbing her back. “They’ve been yelling for a little while but I think they’re downstairs now.”

“Y’know I told Polly when she got pregnant that she was gonna have to get woken up early by those gremlins just like all three of us woke up our parents,” Betty mumbled. “She didn’t fuckin’ listen to me though.” 

Jughead chuckled. “How the tables have turned,” he commented, followed by a yawn. “We’ve still got time though.” 

“Yeeeeah,” she added, her eyes closing completely as she smiled. “G’night, Juggie.” 

The feeling of his laughter was all she remembered before drifting off again. 

**\---**

The next time Betty opened her eyes, it was light outside. Based on Jughead’s slow breathing under her head, he was either still asleep or just being as still as possible. She shifted and he froze, which told her that he was awake. 

“Good morning, Betts,” he said. 

“Time?” 

“It’s uh… just past nine,” he replied. From downstairs Betty could clearly hear the twins showing off all of their gifts from Santa to their uncles and grandparents. She sat up, her palm pressing against his chest. Betty looked at him and his small smirk. 

“Merry Christmas, Jug,” she said. 

“Merry Christmas,” Jughead replied. “Are you ready to join the land of the living?” 

“Tis the reason for the season,” Betty joked, rolling herself out of bed so she could put on her slippers. Jughead got out of bed too and joined her as she left the room. 

On their way down the stairs, Betty reached back for Jughead’s hand subconsciously and he laced his fingers through hers. They turned the corner into the living room and found everyone awake and still in their pajamas. Polly and Jason had dark circles under their eyes and held their mugs as if it wasn’t their first dose of coffee for the morning. Dagwood and Juniper were just as energetic as they had been at five in the morning, moving between all of their different toys excitedly. 

Alice noticed them first. “Oh! Betty, Jughead! Merry Christmas. I believe Santa left something for the both of you.” 

Betty and Jughead looked at each other curiously, but walked over to the tree together, finding a few presents still wrapped and under the tree. Jughead sat down first while Betty grabbed a present that had her name on it. Almost as soon as she stood up again, Jughead’s hands were on her waist and he pulled her down into his lap. 

_“Jug!”_ she exclaimed in surprise, making him laugh. Betty stayed there for a moment, but soon moved next to him instead. 

Jughead ended up with a nice tie with small sheepdogs on it, as well as a quarterly hot sauce subscription for the year that would deliver a few bottles of different hot sauces every three months. Betty had helped her father pick out the tie over FaceTime, but the hot sauce came out of left field. He was very happy with both, though he said the real gift for him was all of Betty and Alice’s cooking he’d been eating recently. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek for that comment. 

Betty got a 1500-piece puzzle from her father (that Jughead was genuinely excited about helping her put together) and a Baking Necessities cookbook she had been fawning over for weeks from her mother. She was too excited, hugging them both, that she missed something. 

“Hey, Betts,” Jughead called. She turned to look at him. He held up a small wrapped present in his hand. “There’s one more with your name on it.” Jughead smirked as she walked over and he stood to meet her. 

As soon as she tore the hastily wrapped present open, Betty had a feeling she knew who it was from. It was a small black box. Upon opening it, she found a simple gold necklace with a circular charm stamped with _EAC._ Elizabeth Anne Cooper - it was her initials. There was a small crystal that resembled a diamond underneath the letters. When she flipped the charm over, she found Jughead’s initials stamped into it too - _FPJ._

_“Jughead,”_ she said. “How--? What--?” 

“Do you like it?” he asked, a genuine smile on his face. Something about the interaction made Betty feel like he wasn’t just pretending for her family anymore. 

“I _love_ it, Juggie,” she replied. “Thank you.” 

All of the other noise in the house faded as he took the necklace from her hands and spun her 180 degrees. A few seconds passed and the gold necklace was around her neck, then he spun her back around again. 

Before she could comprehend what her body was doing, Betty pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. Jughead kissed back. Though they pulled apart after only a few seconds. Her head cleared when she looked into his eyes again. 

“I forgot to bring your present down,” Betty told him, her cheeks flushing. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” he said. 

“Too late, I already did.” She tore herself from his hold, running upstairs. Betty rummaged through her duffel bag before she found the small box that held Jughead’s gift. 

Seconds later she was standing in front of Jughead again, holding out the small unwrapped box. He smiled, opening the lid. 

“You did _not,”_ Jughead said, a large, goofy smile on his face. Betty just laughed. 

“What is it?” Charles asked. 

“Betty got me a set of fast food pins for my beanie,” he said. “Ugh! These are amazing! There’s pizza and a burger and… are those _fries?”_ Betty nodded, still laughing at his reaction. Jughead wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing their faces close. “This is so much better than my present!” 

“Uh, I quite like your gift, Juggie,” she told him, tapping his nose with her finger. Jughead kissed her temple in response. 

“Greatest Christmas ever,” he said, kissing her forehead too. 

A little while later, Betty and her siblings exchanged gifts. Polly got a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and Charles got a Rubik’s speed cube he’d been talking about for a while from Betty. She got a nice lavender sweater from her sister and a first edition _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ (the version sold in England - quite expensive) from Charles. 

While Betty helped her mother prepare a simple lunch a few hours later, Jughead played with her niece and nephew. Every once in a while she’d step away to peek at him and the twins. She knew he was really doing Polly and Jason a favor because they ended up asleep on two different couches even with _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ blasting on the TV and Jughead, Juniper, and Dagwood playing The Floor is Lava. 

After lunch, the twins were so worn out that they needed a rare nap upstairs, which left the Cooper house mostly quiet for an hour or two. Polly and Jason, newly energized from their nap earlier, were mentally preparing themselves for when the twins would wake. Charles and Leo had been manning the fire in the fireplace, as it was quite cold outside with the snow and everything. 

(They all did get dressed at some point. Jughead put his beanie on, to include a fried chicken pin this time, next to the other two he always wore.) 

Betty was pulled away once more to help Alice cook for their Christmas party that evening. As she had told Jughead, the party was more of a dinner party followed by a social hour (with alcohol, music, and a little dancing). It was generally just a good time and an opportunity to get together with the Coopers’ family friends. 

While Betty, Alice, and Polly worked in the kitchen, Hal had Charles, Jughead, Leo, Jason, and the twins clean up the house and set out decorations. Jughead once again tried to make his way into the kitchen when he could smell the turkey in the oven, but Alice, Polly, and Betty all shooed him out together. 

With only the turkey left in the oven to finish, Betty collapsed on the couch in exhaustion after Alice told she and Polly to go clean up for the party. When she opened her eyes, Betty found Jughead standing next to the couch, smiling down at her. She noticed he was wearing a white button-up and his grey sheepdog tie, and a deep red sweater over it. His beanie was firmly on his head, now with what Betty thought was a hot dog pin. 

“What?” she grumbled. 

“First of all, you look like you could use a drink,” he said, motioning to one of the two wine glasses in his hands. “Second of all, you still need to get ready for the party.” 

After a few sips of wine, Betty found the motivation to go upstairs and get changed. She chose a plum A-line dress, accompanied by a pair of glittery gold heels, and the necklace Jughead got her for Christmas (it went so well with the heels that she couldn’t _not_ leave it on). Betty took her hair out of its ponytail, making sure to run her hands through her blonde tresses enough to be presentable. She took yet another sip of her liquid courage, then went downstairs where the first guests were arriving. 

Betty found Jughead quickly, lacing her hand between his arm and his side. Her palm landed on his bicep and she looked up at him with a smile. He was grinning right back at her, though she hadn’t noticed him watching her as she entered the room. 

“You look great,” Jughead said when she started playing with her necklace nervously. _“Really_ great.” 

“You do too,” she replied. Betty told Jughead to hold her wine glass, then reached up and straightened out his Windsor knot. “The sheepdogs were my idea, by the way,” Betty said. “I told my dad you had a sheepdog in Toledo.” 

“That happens to be the _reason_ I love this tie,” Jughead told her. “Thank you for thinking of me.” Betty smiled in response, taking her wine glass from his hand. 

A few minutes later, guests started arriving. First up were the Andrews’ (their neighbors) - Fred and his wife Mary, along with Betty’s childhood best friend Archie and his girlfriend Veronica Lodge. Cheryl and Penelope Blossom, Jason’s sister and mother, came next with their bright red hair and a complimentary bottle of their famous maple syrup. Waldo Weatherbee, the principal of Riverdale High, and his daughter Wendy came after the Blossoms, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Klump and their daughter Midge. 

Once everyone had arrived and socialized well enough, Alice announced that dinner was ready. Everyone sat down at the much larger dinner table the Coopers brought up from the basement earlier that day. Betty was only a little surprised when Jughead pulled her chair out for her before seating himself beside her. He reached for her hand under the table and she provided without really noticing. 

The first course was the turkey that had been in the oven for hours with all of the fixin’s. Every other bite, Jughead was whispering compliments into Betty’s ear just to tease her (and probably entertain himself). She could tell he was pacing himself because Jughead only got seconds and not thirds. It was extremely obvious he was waiting for the second course - the assortment of desserts Betty, Alice, and Polly had made in the past two days. 

Christmas cookies, Alice’s apple pie, Betty’s chocolate cake, and various flavors of ice cream all made Jughead’s eyes light up. Needless to say, he had one of each. 

(Which included one of each shape of cookie and one scoop of each ice cream flavor along with his slice of cake and pie.)

Betty was amused when the adults and her family turned a blind eye to Jughead’s plate while the guests their age all had a confused look on their face. She did her best to not just start laughing out of nowhere, as she knew it would be a major distraction and it would embarrass Jughead, but she had to admit it was a difficult feat. 

After dinner, Polly and Jason took the twins upstairs to get them ready for bed, as dinner had gone on longer than expected. The table was cleared not long after that, allowing the social hour to commence. 

Betty made sure to get Jughead some spiked eggnog because they both knew Jughead couldn’t handle too much socializing at a time. He was a generally introverted person and preferred time by himself or with a small group of close friends. Betty was asking him to grin and bear a social event, but she wasn’t going to make him do it sober or by himself. The least she could do was promise endless refills of his drink and to stay by his side for the entirety of the socializing. 

Jughead was a bit steely around some of Betty’s friends from high school - namely Midge and Wendy - but he remained polite. During their conversation with Cheryl, Jughead had tensed up a lot. When she went to find her brother, he pulled her a little closer. 

“Whatever you do, don’t leave me with ginger barbie,” he whispered in her ear. “She scares me.” 

Betty wasn’t terribly surprised - she knew Cheryl well and she had that general high school mean girl demeanor (partly because she had been one). In contrast to that, Betty had known Cheryl since her freshman year because Jason and Polly had been dating for a few months, and Cheryl had always been sisterly to her. It was refreshing, mostly because Betty knew that Cheryl’s reputation involved being a hardass as the captain of the cheer team. 

“I’m not going to leave you with Cheryl,” Betty assured him, her free hand coming up to rest on his chest. “Scout’s honor.” 

Jughead _did,_ however, warm up to Archie and his girlfriend. Archie did try to start talking about sports first, but they eventually found a happy medium at video games. Veronica complimented Jughead’s tie and Betty’s dress. Betty had always liked Veronica and felt that she balanced out a quite… _aloof_ Archie. He was many things, but extremely smart he was not, and on multiple occasions Betty had witnessed Veronica being Archie’s common sense. 

Because of the way Jughead had been getting along with the pair, Betty excused herself to refill their drinks and use the restroom. She quietly assured Jughead she wouldn’t be long so he would let go of her arm. As she was leaving, Veronica offered to refill all four of their drinks so Betty could use the restroom in peace. 

As she began her search for an empty bathroom, the one on the lower level of the house was taken, so Betty ended up in the bathroom in her own room. She took her time, savoring the quiet before she would have to return to save Jughead from exhausting his delicate social battery. 

She was halfway down the stairs again when she realized she could hear Archie and Jughead still talking around the corner to the living room. Betty stopped, crouching down to listen. 

“So… Betty’s your girlfriend?” Archie asked. 

“The very one,” Jughead replied. 

“You’ve got a good one there.” 

“I know,” Jughead said smugly. “She’s amazing.” 

“Y’know, when we were in high school I’d come over when she was baking to try all the stuff she made,” Archie added. 

“Well, that’s me now, I guess,” he joked, making them both laugh. 

“Now don’t take this the wrong way, Jughead--” Betty knew that Archie probably needed to slow down on the drinks just because of that string of words. “But I never thought Betty’d land someone like you.” 

“Me neither,” he replied. 

Betty knew when Jughead was lying, and those words only had truth to them. 

“She’s too good for me,” Jughead added. “I’m the luckiest guy at NYU. I can’t believe nobody picked her up first.” There were a few heavy seconds where Betty could tell Jughead had paused to take a sip of his drink. “You know… I’ve had a crush on her since the day we met in our 9AM.” 

Betty almost tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs. She wanted to scream, cheer, just do anything to get the adrenaline in her body _out._

“And how long have you two been together?” Archie asked. 

Jughead evidently wasn’t prepared for the question and paused to think up a quick lie. “Uh… Since October.” 

It was then that Betty had heard enough, getting up and taking the rest of the stairs in a few bounds. She rushed into the living room without thinking too much about it. She just wanted to get to Jughead and then--

“Ooh! Betty! That’s mistletoe up there!” Archie said loudly, getting the attention of the entire room. Veronica elbowed her boyfriend, but the damage had already been done. 

When she craned her neck upwards, she found that same bundle of mistletoe that Dagwood had thrown at them the day before dangling from the doorway. Betty looked in Archie’s direction, finding Jughead frozen in place, just like she was. When they locked eyes, something must have switched in Jughead because he was shoving his drink into Archie’s chest for him to hold. 

In three quick strides, he was standing in front of her. Behind him, Betty noticed her mother cheering silently next to her father, and she knew then and there who exactly had put the mistletoe up there in the first place. 

Jughead seemed to be ignoring the mostly silent room, cupping Betty’s face in his hands one second and taking her breath away the next. 

His lips were warm and his touch made her relax. The way he wrapped his arms around her to pull her near made Betty want to just melt into him and never resurface. Boldly, she circled her arms around the back of his neck and pulled his face even closer as they both juiced the kiss for all it was worth. 

The world seemed to have stabilized again by the time they pulled away. The social hour was still going, back to normal, but Betty was lost in Jughead’s dilated, dark sapphire eyes. He was still dazed, but he shook it off quickly. 

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly, the outside noise starting to filter back into Betty’s ears. “I-It’s not anything bad… I just need to tell you something.” 

“Me too,” she replied, knowing it was time. “Follow me.” 

Betty took Jughead’s hand, dragging him out of the living room through the opposite doorway (avoiding the mistletoe). Archie handed Jughead’s drink back to him on the way out, and he took a swig that emptied the glass as they entered the vacant and quieter kitchen. Betty stopped and spun to face him, finding him stepping closer. 

For once, Betty can tell that Jughead isn’t distracted by all the food still laying out, not even the chocolate cake he had praised her so much for only an hour and a half earlier. His eyes were locked on hers, swirling blue with a dash of wonderstruck in them. 

“I…” he stopped suddenly, as if he was unsure. “Um… you first,” Jughead said. “I need to figure out how to say this.” 

“Okay… well…” Betty simpered, initially trying to dance around the elephant between them. She realized she needed to just say it already. “I heard your conversation with Archie,” she admitted. Jughead looked surprised. “And… is it true?” 

“I-Is what true?” Jughead stuttered, starting to turn bright red. Betty could tell he was about to recede into himself if she pushed too hard. 

“Have you had a crush on me since freshman year?” 

Jughead’s gaze wandered as he blushed more, and for a few seconds Betty’s heart hung in a dangerous balance. He was either going to crush her heart and say it was a lie, or--

“Yes,” Jughead admitted quietly. “And I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way, but I wanted to tell you for so long that I just fucking _adore_ you and I--” 

Betty stopped his word vomit with a strong kiss, taking his face in her hands. He stabilized himself by placing his hands on her waist, holding her in place firmly while they locked lips. 

“We’re fucking _idiots,”_ she laughed, pulling away. “Me too.” 

“Really?” he asked. 

“I noticed it in junior year, but… yeah,” Betty replied. 

Jughead kissed her this time, pulling away and looking around. He started walking them to the other side of the kitchen, eventually picking her up and sitting her down on the kitchen counter. 

“Wha--”

“I needed some free counter space for you,” he said. “I’ve been wanting to do this all week.” 

They dove back into each other right after that comment. Their touches were innocent, but their kisses were heated and felt like they lasted longer than they actually were. Betty still had her hands on Jughead’s face, pulling him close so she could keep kissing him. 

Charles stomped into the kitchen a few minutes later, deftly making Jughead and Betty pull apart. They all exchanged nervous glances, but Charles quickly grabbed a bottle of spiked apple cider, made a motion that indicates his lips were locked, and quickly left the room. They looked at each other again once Betty’s brother was gone. 

“Upstairs?” Jughead asked. 

_“Please,”_ Betty replied. 

Swiftly, Jughead helped her slide off the counter and they quickly and quietly made their way upstairs. He had an arm around her shoulders and his other hand was holding hers the entire time. Once they made it back to her room, they snuck in and Betty locked the door. 

Jughead was waiting for her, standing a foot away from her bed. She laughed, rushing over to him so she could wrap her arms around the back of his neck and pull him down for another kiss. 

“I know _I’m_ a hair past buzzed, how about you?” Betty asked, kissing his cheek sweetly. 

“Same,” he replied. “I know we’re heading in a direction,” Jughead said, his hands on her hips while she quickly removed her necklace. “I’m all for it if you are.” 

“Jug,” Betty stopped him, cupping his cheek in one hand. “We’ve waited too fucking long, I think we deserve this.” 

“I just wanted to let you know I’m probably rusty,” he added nervously. Betty could tell he was about to ramble down a black hole. “I haven’t done this since high school and--” 

“Me neither. It’s okay, Juggie,” Betty assured him, taking it upon herself to pull out his tie and undo the knot herself. She pulled the tie from around his collar, tossing it over her shoulder. 

“Oh, shit, what about the kids?” 

He was just being ridiculous now. 

“Don’t bring up my niece and nephew right as I’m about to get laid,” Betty scolded as she balanced to take off her heels and fling them toward her closet. Jughead huffed a laugh, grabbing his beanie and tossing it somewhere (Betty didn’t truthfully care where). 

His sweater came off next, then Betty got close to unbutton his dress shirt. Jughead must have noticed the zipper on the back of her dress, because he started kissing her neck while slowly pulling the zipper down. Betty’s heartrate increased steadily, trying her best to pull his shirt off of him while he continued teasing her. 

Betty stepped out of her dress when it pooled on the floor, directing Jughead’s lips back to hers so she could finally rid him of that annoying dress shirt. She walked them back and Jughead’s knees buckled when he hit the bed, falling back. Betty took the opportunity to undo the belt buckle and top button of his pants, and Jughead did the rest, his shoes long gone. 

Finally, they were both left in their underthings as Betty straddled him. Jughead was doing his best to (and succeeding at) kissing the life out of her. His hands had found her hair, twirling it between his fingers gently while she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. 

At one point, with heavy breaths between the two of them, Betty reached back and undid the clasp of her bra. She tossed it somewhere, but she didn’t know which way because she was too busy laying kisses on Jughead’s jaw to notice. 

“So fucking beautiful,” he breathed, his hands sliding up and down her bare skin, and even exploring a little further. 

In the blink of an eye, Jughead flipped them over and rid Betty of her underwear. His fingers wandered south, eventually putting them just where Betty wanted them to be. One finger, then two, were inside her, coaxing her gently toward an orgasm as she bucked into his hand. Betty’s hands were lodged in Jughead’s inky, messy locks while she managed to kiss him sloppily at best. 

_“There,”_ and _“Faster,”_ slipped from Betty’s lips at some point, and all too soon she was crashing into an orgasm. She tucked her face into his neck so she wouldn’t scream out as she let go. A step from boneless, Betty reached into Jughead’s boxers, beginning to jerk him off. 

“You-- You don’t have to--” Jughead couldn’t complete a sentence. 

“I _want_ to,” she assured him quietly. “You want it, Juggie.” 

“Y-Yeah,” he relented, still stumbling over his words. “You’re s-so _good,”_ Jughead moaned, letting Betty take over. His eyes closed, and moments later he was crashing into his own orgasm and shakily discarding his messy boxers. 

Betty grabbed a condom from her nightstand when he wasn’t looking, then rolled to straddle Jughead again. She showed him the small foil package and he smiled. 

“I need a sec,” he said, reaching up and grabbing the back of her neck. Jughead pulled her head closer to kiss her. “That was so good, holy shit,” he whispered, continuing to kiss her. “You’re amazing.” 

“Why didn’t we do this sooner?” Betty asked when Jughead started kissing just under her ear. 

“We were fucking idiots, Betts. You said it yourself.” They both laughed, locking lips softly again. Betty pulled away after a minute. 

“Ready?” she asked, holding up the foil package again. 

“Hell yeah,” he replied. 

Jughead took the condom from her, tearing the foil and rolling it over himself. They sat up together, Betty’s chest flush with his. Jughead put his hands on her hips, guiding him up and onto him. 

When she finally slid into his lap, the stretch was a little painful but mostly exhilarating. They both needed a second to adjust, trading soft kisses and gentle touches during that time. 

Soon, Jughead was helping Betty move up and down on him. Their chests were heaving together, the friction on their skin intoxicating. When they began they were still exchanging heated kisses, but it soon became too much for both of them and they had to pull away. Jughead still left hot, wet kisses on the column of Betty’s neck. In retaliation, she started to roll her hips when she came down on him. 

“Are you _trying_ to kill me?” he moaned in her ear. 

“Just a little, if you are,” she replied. “I’m getting close.” 

“Me too,” Jughead whispered, grunting softly. “Faster?” 

“Yeah, we can do that.” 

Betty set a quicker pace that had them both struggling to remain quiet. Jughead’s thumb found her clit, putting an ample amount of pressure there and making it even harder to not moan his name. 

He grunted a little louder as she rocked into his lap. _“Yes, Betty,”_ he groaned. “You’re so fucking sexy.” 

_“I’m yours,”_ she moaned quietly in his ear. A moment later, he found his release, clenching his jaw so he wouldn’t make any noise. Betty kept going and Jughead focused his thumb on her clit further. 

“So beautiful,” he whispered, moving his mouth over her nipple. “Come. I’ll catch you.” 

Jughead’s hot tongue sparked her second orgasm, and Betty choked down her scream. She collapsed into him and made them both fall back. She moved her face over and into the pillow under his head, allowing herself to muffle her moans as she came down. 

They came to a halt together, Jughead still inside her with arms wrapped around each other. Their kisses were messy, a little shaky, but perfect in every way. 

Regretfully, Betty had to get up to use the bathroom, but folded herself back into Jughead’s side as quickly as she could. 

Before falling asleep, they quietly admitted their truths - their history of wanting to be with each other for so long. They agreed that they were both happy they had finally admitted their feelings to each other while tucked under Betty’s sheets. 

After one more round of sex, they fell asleep tangled together while making out softly. 

**\---**

Betty woke the next morning to realize someone was rubbing her shoulder. There was also something behind her that was quite warm, and she found herself pushing back into it. 

And that single movement caused something distinct to press into her ass. 

Betty’s eyes snapped open, finding that it was Jughead with his arms around her and stroking her shoulder… and it was (ahem) _Little Jughead_ that wanted to come out to play. 

“Jesus, Betty,” he said, laughing. She rolled over in his arms, finding that they were both still unabashedly naked and under her sheets. 

“It wasn’t a dream,” she muttered sleepily, tucking one of Jughead’s dark curls behind his ear. “G’morning.” 

“I’ve been trying to get you up for a while,” Jughead said softly, returning the same motion. “I have to leave for the airport in a few hours.” 

“Nooooo,” Betty groaned. “I don’t want you to go - I just got you.” 

“I don’t really want to go either, but my family’s expecting me,” he told her. “But… I wouldn’t be against it if you wanted to come with me perchance?” 

“As your fake girlfriend?” she asked jokingly. 

“As my _real_ girlfriend,” he replied, kissing her forehead. 

“I would love that, Juggie,” Betty said. “But just so you know…” She paused to yawn. “My whole family knows we were faking the entire time.” 

“Huh?” Jughead asked. 

“Yeah,” Betty continued sleepily, not quite processing everything she was saying. “It was my mom’s idea because she watched _Holidate_ and a bunch of those Hallmark movies. She said it would work and I mean… it did.” 

“Do you _know_ how many times I had to photoshop pictures to make it look like we were doing couple-y things and had been doing them for some time?” he asked, outraged. “Betty!” 

She just laughed. “That’s really funny, Jug. I’d love to see them. And we could even recreate them now that we’re together.” There was a long patch of silence. “We… _are_ together… right?” 

“I’d say so,” he replied. “I’m not even mad.” 

Behind them, the bedroom door opened. Betty quickly flipped over, pulling the sheets over herself and Jughead scrambled to help as Polly of all people poked her head in the room. 

“Hey-- OH MY GOD--” 

“GET OUT, POLLY!” Betty screamed. Her sister slammed the door shut. 

The silence was deafening for a few seconds as everyone processed what happened. 

“We’re caught,” Betty whispered. 

“Hey mom!” Polly shouted, running downstairs. “It worked!” 

“I’d say so,” Jughead agreed. “In the meantime, though… shower?” 

“As long as we’re not planning on wasting water,” she replied. “Wait… how did the door get unlocked?” Betty looked up at Jughead. 

“I… may or may not have slipped out to grab a midnight snack,” he admitted. “I guess I forgot to lock the door when I came back… sorry.” 

“You can make it up to me in the shower.” 

**\---**

Jughead and Betty joined the rest of her family downstairs an hour later and once they were decent. It was awkward at first because it was evident Polly had blabbed about what she saw. 

Betty did eventually explain that Jughead knew about their plan to get them together, and that it did work and they were together. She also announced she was going to Toledo with Jughead for a few days to meet his family. 

Though the explanation was awkward, Betty found her family to be ecstatic that they had finally cut the shit and told each other what they were feeling. 

“And that’s not why we were being weird around you,” Alice eventually said. “Jughead, we checked the forecast for Toledo and… all of the flights in the next three days have been cancelled.” 

_“But_ we decided that you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need so that you can get home safely,” Hal added. “That is, if you’d like.” 

Betty looked up at Jughead and he smiled back at her. 

“That would be amazing, Mr. Cooper,” he said, shaking her father’s hand. “Thank you.” 

“You should probably go call your mom and tell her the news,” Betty told him. 

“Yeah,” Jughead replied. “I’ve got to tell her my flight’s been cancelled… and that I finally got a girlfriend.”

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you had a very merry holiday if you celebrate and I hope we can all have a happy new year. 
> 
> Let's just cross our fingers and pray that 2021 was a better one because 2020 felt like its own decade ngl.


End file.
